“Must” and “maybe” souvenirs from Vietnam

No matter you like to travel with a small bag or big luggage, most probably you still buy some “touchable memories” (souvenirs) from visited places? Some of us have a collection of fridge magnets, others bring whatever they like or something specific only from that country. Personally, I like to bring something small and practical, which can be used in daily life. For example, carved tray for a cup from a specific village, candlestick from specific that place materials and etc. (depends on what I’m missing at that moment at home).

Here are the lists of MUST and MAYBE (as well specific ones) souvenirs from Vietnam that you can consider to bring back home. It’s based on my personal suggestions from what I saw in the streets and what recommended my Vietnamese friends.

MUST souvenirs from Vietnam

SILK

Even if you can buy it in Thailand, Malaysia as well (like those countries “unique” souvenirs) but if you are in Vietnam you should think to buy a scarf, silk painting (which is quite unique, an iconic art form in Vietnam) or even suit the clothes from silk (tailor can suite it during ~15 hours).
Silk in Vietnam is made on traditional handlooms. You can find beautiful patterns, different colors, and sizes. Even if you can buy silk anywhere in Vietnam but one of the best places is Hoi An city, silk village Van Phuc (near Hanoi). The price will be better, more options, and quicker service (sewing). Prices begin at about $ 3.00/per meter for 90 cm wide material.

Silk shop - souvenirs from Vietnam
The tailor’s place in Hoi An city

LACQUER WARE

Is special in its style of using resin from the son tree. It’s said that high-quality lacquer products go through 20 stages of development and can be used to craft dishes, bowls, vases, and more in beautiful colors and intricate designs. Very special is lacquer paintings – sơn mài. Prices begin at $ 1.00 for a small dish, $ 3.00 for a large dish and etc.

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VIETNAMESE EMBROIDERY

An art passed down from ages, embroiders in Vietnam make use of Chinese techniques mostly. Become a master in this art can take 8-10 years. If you are visiting Sa Pa – you can buy really exclusive embroidered clothes, scarfs, small bags and etc. from different villages. You can see how it’s made straight in your eyes in the evening market in the main square. A good pair of pillowcases or a set of bed linen, both on a white cotton base, should cost around $ 6.00.

Sa Pa market - souvenirs from Vietnam
Women from Sa Pa region preparing for the night market, where they will sell their works

DO PAPER postcards, notebooks

“Do” paper is made from the bark of the Do tree, a wild plant commonly found around local riverbanks. It was popular for many years before the modern paper came. Now Do paper is only used to make Hanoi’s ethnic greetings cards, watercolor, folk paintings, and bamboo-bound notebooks. Do paper cards with embroidered squares, hemp covered notebooks cost more or less $ 2.00, bamboo bound notebooks are from $ 1.50. Better to search in book stores.

Do paper - souvenirs from Vietnam
You can see those drawings in hotels as well like it’s very famous painters works.

GUOC MOC (wooden clogs)

Are traditional footwear for males and females in Vietnam. Before females were wearing these with the traditional Ao Dai dress. Now it’s not so traditional wear, but you can still buy these in stores. I saw some such clogs in Bangkok as well but it looked like brought from Vietnam.

AO DAI dress

Recognized as national wear for females in Vietnam. It’s a tight-fitted long dress worn over long pants. The Ao Dai costs about $32.00 for a plain finished product. If you want a more detailed or custom made Ao Dai, you can buy some fabric and have a tailor make it for about $70.00.

SNAKE WINE

There’s not too much “wine” – the snake is infused in grain alcohol – but you get an exotic view. The bottle cost ~ $20.00.

BOOK “Que Huong my homeland Vietnam” by Nguyen Manh Dan

It’s a book of photographs of Vietnam by Vietnamese photographers and you will find their Vietnamese songs, poetry written in English, Vietnamese. Unfortunately how hard I was trying to find it in Hanoi book street (even with a local person) – didn’t manage. If you will be lucky to find it, I think you will be very happy to have it.

MAYBE souvenirs from Vietnam

If you like to travel to Asia or plan a new trip there, I suggest considering maybe not to buy in Vietnam souvenirs which I’m mentioning below. You can find them in other Asian countries as well (in some countries even cheaper).

CERAMIC

You can easily find ceramic vases, lacquer vases, and more such variety in a plethora of sizes, shapes, and colors. A good quality plate costs ~ $2.00. Can be an idea to buy a small teacup set. But ceramic you can bring from any other country as well: Indonesia (for example in Yogyakarta there is area Kasongan, where most crafts are from ceramic), Thailand and etc.

Ceramic souvenirs from Vietnam
Tea cup set

BAMBOO AND WOODEN PRODUCTS

You can buy beautifully carved bamboo hats or salad bowls, trays, baskets, and more such items made out of bamboo and wood. Apart from being cheaper alternatives, they are also eco-friendly. It’s a costs from $13.00 to $45.00. But the same you can buy in any other Asian country where bamboo is growing, for example in Thailand it will be cheaper.

CONICAL HATS

Referred to as leaf hat or non la, these are a symbol of Vietnam and can be seen on drums as old as 3000 years. The same can be used as an umbrella during rains and sun protector during summers. Such hats but with different names you can buy anywhere where are rice paddies: Indonesia, Thailand and etc.

Conical hat
Conical hat used in Vietnamese daily life

RICE

How not to buy a small package of rice from rice country? Brown, white, different shape, mixed and etc. The price will be ridiculous and straight from the rice paddies. But the same you can buy in any other “rice” country.

TEA

Good quality tea can be bought in specialist shops in large cities. Kilo of top-quality tea can cost ~ $8.00, if lightly flavored ~$5.00, without flavoring ~$2.00. But in each other country, you can buy tea as well: Japan, Indonesia, China and etc.

COFFEE

Even if Vietnamese coffee quite famous for its preparation and taste (strong, instead of sugar they put condensing milk) but you can enjoy it in the coffee shops in Vietnam. To buy it like a souvenir you can but then need to buy special tools to prepare it in the right way. Good quality “Trung Nguyen” coffee 1-kilo Robusta beans costs ~ $4.00, Arabica will be more expensive.
But as well in Indonesia, you can buy coffee, even more, a popular one, the most expensive in the world “Kopi Luwak”.

HANDMADE WOVEN PRODUCTS

For example in Vietnam scarf costs ~$2.00. A garment, such as a woven, embroidered, or appliqued jacket can cost ~ $15.00. But handmade woven products you can buy in any other Asian country (for example Indonesia, Lombok island).

JEWELRY, PEARLS

Other popular souvenirs from Vietnam. Most jewelers are made of local gemstones. But the same things you can buy in Indonesia as well, where gemstones really popular and one of the places for pearls can be in Lombok island near the port to Gili Meno, Air or Trawangan islands.

CLOTHES

If you want to buy Asian style pans or other clothes, before buying them check if it’s really made in Vietnam. I had an experience when bought pans in Vietnam and in Indonesia met a girl with the same pattern dress what she bought in Thailand. The conclusion that all things made in China. By the way in Thailand clothes are much cheaper than in Vietnam.

Clothes from Vietnam and Thailand
I bought pans in Vietnam, girl bought dress in Thailand. But both of them made in China.

Specific souvenirs from Vietnam for specific interests

  • WAR SOUVENIRS – you can buy coins, zippers, and other old things that remain war time in Vietnam.
  • MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS – here you can buy a bamboo flute and miniature bamboo xylophone.
  • INSTANT NOODLES – like I live in Indonesia where instant noodles are eaten everywhere. I wanted to bring my friends in Indonesia to try Vietnamese instant noodles. It’s really different from Indonesian ones or those that you can buy in Europe.
  • FAKE THINGS – some people like to buy famous brands fake copies. Here you can find whatever you want.
  • CARVED WOODEN STAMPS – you can optionally require craftsmen to carve the characters that you liked or a meaningful icon. If you are not too picky, just select the template and change some details or even purchase the stamps which have been carved already here. It can be a great souvenir for friends with their name letter. It’s not so practical but fun.
  • VIETNAMESE JACKET – nowhere else I saw such jacket – mostly it used driving on a motorbike but can be used in daily life as well. Can be quite unique gift (you can choose different colors, materials).

Of course, you can buy as well other souvenirs from Vietnam: magnets, stamps, postcards, traditional music CD. But buy them not in touristic places, go to bookshops and smaller shops out of touristic areas.

Here some tips on how to buy souvenirs from Vietnam and the 10 best shopping places in Hanoi:

What to buy in Vietnam
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SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

  • Found some other souvenirs from Vietnam that are worth buying? Share with us
  • What kind of souvenirs do you like to bring from your travels?
  • Is Vietnam on your bucket list? What you would like to see, do or try there?

 

 

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Vietnam visa on arrival – easier way to enter Vietnam

Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia countries which I really want to visit again. I was there only for 2 weeks but I easily felt in love with Vietnam. I believe you will be in love with this country as well.

But before starting to enjoy time in Vietnam, you first of all need to take care of your Vietnam visa. This is what you need to know:

Who need Vietnam visa?

Many countries travelers need a visa for Vietnam. Only under bilateral or unilateral visa exemption agreements granted by the Vietnam government don’t need it.

Under bilateral visa exemption agreement citizens of:

  • Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia – has free 30 days visa exemption;
  • Philippines – has free 21 days visa exemption;
  • Brunei and Myanmar – has free 14 days visa exemption.

Under unilateral visa exemption agreement citizens of:

  • Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Russia, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus – has free 15 days visa exemption.

The difference between bilateral visa exemption agreement and the unilateral one is that those under the former one can always visit Vietnam with visa exemption provided that their stay in the country is no longer than their exempted duration.

Citizens from the countries not mentioned in the list above, can visit Vietnam with visa exemption if their arrival date does not fall within 30 days from exit date of their last visit to the country.

If you are not from the country listed above. What should you do?

You need to obtain the visa for Vietnam. There are 2 ways:

  1. Get visa via Vietnam embassy in your country or nearest country that has Vietnam embassy;
  2. Get a Vietnam visa on arrival (VOA).

Which visa is better? I will give a brief guide for you.

Vietnam embassy visa 

This option will provide you a full visa beforehand. The issuing authority in this case is the Vietnam embassy.

Required documents: Normally, you will need to submit your original passport and a copy of completed application form. The form you need to download from the embassy to which you will submit your documents. Some embassies can also ask you to submit flight ticket, and other documents. So, you should contact them in advance for details.

How to submit: The embassy may accept application documents submitted in person, by post or by a third party with letter of authorization. But not all act in these ways. So, you are once more recommended to contact them for details.

Processing time: Normally, visa will be processed by the embassy during 5-7 working days. Sometimes, you may get it expedited faster paying extra amount of money.

The advantage and disadvantage of Vietnam embassy visa

Advantage:

  • Having visa already stamped onto your passport before your departure to Vietnam.
  • Applicable to travelers to Vietnam by any means of transport.
  • Making one-time payment for visa fee at Vietnam embassy.

Disadvantage:

  • Parting with your original passport.
  • Having to drive to the nearest embassy or send documents by post.
  • Dealing directly with Vietnam embassies.
  • Various visa fees and procedures at different Vietnam embassies.
  • Taking up to 3 days to get response for your emails.

Making visa to Vietnam via Vietnam embassy I suggest for those who are traveling to Vietnam through borders crossing and have enough time to wait till visa will be made. While for those traveling to Vietnam by air, I recommend Vietnam visa on arrival.

Vietnam visa on arrival (VOA)

In my opinion, this option is much more convenient, but for air travelers only. If you travel to land or cruise, you need to get visa from Vietnam embassy.

Unlike with Vietnam embassy visa, with visa on arrival, you will not get the full visa beforehand. You will get only the visa approval letter (it will be issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department via a travel agent), which will let you board the flight and get visa stamped upon arrival at Vietnam airport. But REMEMBER you need to get the Vietnam visa approval letter before departure as without it, in airport you can’t continue processing Vietnam visa on arrival.

Required documents: None at all for application.

How to submit: With Vietnam visa on arrival VOA, you only need to fill out an online form for visa approval letter. You can submit an online form for visa approval letter. This whole process is completed online. You just need fill travel and contact information an pay issuing fee with your debit/credit card. Don’t forget to fill this form at least week before you are planning to enter Vietnam.

Processing time: Within 2 working days from your submission of application form and payment of service fee, you will get the visa approval letter processed and sent to our email. You will need to print it before going to Vietnam and bring it to immigration office in airport. And then you will need approximately 15-30 minutes at Vietnam airport to get visa stamped into passport.

You can speed up processing of visa approval letter (even within 2-4 working hours) with a bit more money.

The advantage and disadvantage of Vietnam visa on arrival

Advantage:

  • No need to send your original passport away.
  • A complete online process – short time for Vietnam visa application.
  • No dealing with immigration agency. Agents deal with them on your behalf.
  • Especially convenient for those who are currently staying far away.
  • You know how much you pay at once.
  • You get prompt response and help online.

Disadvantage:

  • Queuing in front of Immigration counter at arrival airports in Vietnam to get visa stamp.
  • Possibly having names of other people on your approval letter.
  • Foreigners can’t apply for Vietnam visa on arrival themselves, the application must go through authorized travel agencies in Vietnam or organizations.

 

If you decided to make Vietnam visa on arrival and looking for further assistance, I recommend to check vietnam-visa.com with whom I have partnered preparing this post. This company already working more than 10 years providing Vietnam visa on arrival service, has only positive feedback and can be reached by hotline 24/7.

Vietnam visa on arrival - easier way to enter Vietnam - lifeinbigtent.com
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SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

  • Have you ever made any visa online? What was your experience?
  • Is Vietnam in your bucketlist? What you would like to see, do or try there?
  • Is this post useful for you to share it?

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A flashback – 2 weeks in Vietnam

It’s hard to write about my 2 weeks in Vietnam, it’s not possible to describe all the feelings after it, because it was my first time in Vietnam. But in general – it was an amazing trip and experience in many different ways. I’m in love with Vietnam. If somebody would ask – it’s really worth to visit!

Some people say that I like numbers. Truly to say – not numbers – I like facts (which sometimes turns into the numbers). So, here are some facts about my 2 weeks trip to Vietnam (later, I will write more about all my experiences).

During 15 days trip (11 days with a group and 4 days alone):

 

Journey during 2 weeks in Vietnam

  • had 7 flights (Yogyakarta-Jakarta-Singapore-Hanoi, Hanoi-Da Nang, Hanoi-Singapore-Jakarta-Yogyakarta)
  • spend 13,5 hours in plains (waiting for the 28,5 hours)
  • had 3-night trains where spend 26 hours (waiting for the 3 hours)
  • spend on the buses more than 50 hours
  • spend on a motorbike (like a passenger) more than 10 hours
  • stayed in 1 hostel, 7 hotels, 1 night in the airport, 2 nights in Vietnamese friend family house in the village

Visited places during 2 weeks in Vietnam

  • visited Singapore (spend 8 hours in the city on the way to Vietnam, 8 hours in the airport on the way back to Indonesia) and Vietnam
  • went to Hanoi, Sa Pa (and 4 villages there), Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island, Ninh Binh (and 2 villages near there)

Activities during 2 weeks in Vietnam

  • been in 2 beaches (in Hue and Hoi An)
  • made 3 trekking tours (2 in Sa Pa, 1 in Cat Ba island) – first 2 took in total 9 hours, last – 2 hours)
  • visited 16 museums/sightseeing’s
  • had 2 massages (Vietnamese full body and foot massage)
  • had 2D/1N cruise (in Halong Bay)
  • made 2 boat trips (in Halong Bay and Ninh Binh)
  • participated in Vietnamese traditional weddings

People during 2 weeks in Vietnam

  • Lithuanian group (I accompany them during the trip) – who treat me like a family member, reminded me Lithuanian language and much more
  • a couple from Israel (I met them on the first night train) – who reminded me that good thing which we do, will come back to you
  • Tuan (first our guide in Hanoi) – who shows me the Vietnamese hospitality, crazy driving style, the beauty of Vietnam nature and allow me to become a part of his family
  • Helmy from Kairo (I met him in Jakarta airport on the way back to Indonesia) – who reminded me that everything is possible if you really want that,  you just need to be brave enough to try and discover new things
  • in general, during the trip, had 4 local guides and even don’t remember how many drivers

Loss during 2 weeks in Vietnam

  • lost my photo camera lens cover in Sa Pa, while I was taking pictures on the trekking time in Sa Pa
  • in Hanoi, airport costume took my Victorinox pocket-knife
  • got sick because of hot weather and air conditions (even in a couple of days lost my voice)
  • had problems with my foot finger and got a lot of bruising

Even if during 2 weeks in Vietnam, I got extra 2 kilos because of delicious Vietnamese food, had a quite tense traveling but IT WAS SO COLORFUL TRIP! And soon I will share more adventures from these 2 weeks in Vietnam.

 

Have you been to Vietnam? What were the most colorful memories from this trip?


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